


it makes him tingle. / erotomaniac.

by torabasu



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Game, F/M, M/M, Murder Thoughts, NDRV3 Spoilers, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Stalking, game spoilers?? kinda, things get worse youll see, yandere behavior, yandere-like saihara
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2018-10-10 05:29:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10430160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torabasu/pseuds/torabasu
Summary: [ndrv3 spoilers.] [au. no killing game.] [chapter 7 & above are written with quotev user korekiyolk.] in which saihara shuichi loves dangan ronpa and ouma kokichi does not.





	1. chapter 1. - obsessed and alone.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a new classmate with a intriguing personality.

another week, another episode. even though he'd seen all of them time after time, he couldn't help but feel giddy when he watched an episode. dangan ronpa was his entire life. quite literally, actually, as he had no friends and barely went out. he went to school, yes, but even there he just watched dangan ronpa. he was failing his classes but that wasn't anything new. he knew he'd go on as this school was a shithole anyway. it was nothing like the schools in dangan ronpa. ah, dangan ronpa...

the poor boy woke up pretty late, as normal. he stayed up watching the first season again. ah, he just couldn't get over how wonderful it was. by the time he arrived at school, he was ready to take a nap. he walked into his class and before he could even apologize for being late again, he laid his eyes on the boy by the chalkboard.

 'kokichi ouma! i hope we can all be friends or at least cause some mischief together! nishishishi~'

and at that moment, he was captivated. this boy was strange. but dangan ronpa strange. and that made him fall hard. his looks were strange, as he was the only one with dyed hair in this school. his eyes were a strange shade of purple and very large. his personality was even better, though. he was the kind to cause mischief and that made saihara shuichi tingle. 

the boy noticed him staring, and so he faced him with a big old smile. that made his heart thump and his body tingle even more. god, this boy was so murderable! or at least, he could murder. the teacher rolled his eyes and told saihara to return to his seat. ouma had been placed in the front while saihara was in the very back. instead of watching dangan ronpa, he watched the boy. 

when the lunch bell rung, saihara was going to approach the boy but he had left to another classroom. saihara got another tingle. he's so mysterious and cool, is what he thinks. he wants to be like that. and so he spends his days learning about ouma. 

it seems like the boy had always been here but wanted to transfer classes as he thought the other ones were too easy. he was part of a club too and was mischievous, just as he thought. saihara gets another tingle. a boy like that was made for dangan ronpa, this he knows. he could be murdered so easily as he's so small and fragile looking and— he was to stop his thoughts there as he's squirming from pure excitement. or he could murder someone and get away with it, since he looks so pure and innocent. just thinking about makes him tingle. he wants ouma to be oumas friend, now. he wants to be like that. maybe one day, he and ouma could go on the show together and he'd kill him. seeing him writhing in fake pain for the murder, the fake blood, the everything. it gave saihara a tingle. 


	2. chapter 2. - interactions and distractions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just an innocent study date between friends. a fun one, for saihara.

when school was over, saihara was going to leave and watch some more dangan ronpa, like normal. until he saw ouma, that is. his sleep deprived eyes lit up immediately and he already felt a slight tingle. he wishes ouma was just a dangan ronpa character so that he could see his death or execution. thinking about it makes him want to squirm, but he can't. not with ouma around.

ouma is talking with some friends, and joking around. he notices that saihara is looking at him once more and so he told his friends he'd be right back, and went to talk to saihara.

when he approached, saihara turned a deep red. he doesn't know how to talk to people, not even other fanatics. when ouma approaches he wants to run away and hide but he can't. he's got to talk with him and make himself like that. for dangan ronpa. he's gotta be like that if he ever wants a chance.

'saihara-kun, right? you sit in the back, too! it kind of makes me wonder if you're doing something weird since i've heard you have some odd spells from time to time.'

saihara opens his mouth and he can only stutter out the word 'i' which causes ouma to laugh and tell him it's a joke. saihara relaxes a little but he still can't figure out what to say. eventually he does, though. the first words he says to his new idol is—

'please teach me.'

ouma looks confused at first but then he just laughs and wraps his arm around saihara, which causes the taller to blush again. he's really friendly..i need to start with this, saihara thinks. he's going to be on dangan ronpa and ouma kokichi is going to be his everything for it. 

'ohh, i get it! you need help 'cause you're always late to class! okay, sure! what do you need help with? and would you rather come to my house or should i go to yours?'

saihara turns red and he feels a tingle. ouma is amazing. ouma is wonderful. ouma is his missing link for dangan ronpa and something more. 'y..your house would be more preferable...mine is..junky.' he doesn't know if ouma even likes dangan ronpa yet so he can't let him come over just yet. everyone likes dangan ronpa a little bit though, so maybe one day.

ouma just grins a little before saying 'oh, you naughty thing! trying to trick me by saying you need help. you just wanna seduce me!' saihara turns pale and reddens at the same time. he stutters out a response and he can feel that he's close to crying. until he hears ouma giggle and says he's kidding. that makes him tingle. 'then, will..will today work?' saihara asks meekly. ouma replies by winking and then replying with a,   
    
'lets go, saihara-kun!' and with that, ouma grabbed saihara's hand, waving to his friends as he ran out with the other male.  saihara felt a tingle in him again.


	3. chapter 3. - friendship and failure.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things are well. or maybe not.

they had arrived at ouma's house a while ago, and had been studying for a while. this stuff was easy, as it should've been, but the dangan ronpa fanatic couldn't care about anything or anyone who wasn't dangan enough. he had a boring life and the tv show made him feel alive. it made him tingle. 

the next few weeks went like this and saihara and ouma grew closer and closer. saihara had gone from 'saihara-kun' to 'saihara-chan' and that made him feel so happy. this is how ouma is. this is how he works. and if this is how he works, then that's how saihara will work as well. for dangan ronpa.

they begun eating lunch together and saihara became a bit more social. he somehow managed to befriend the schools delinquent, due to ouma. he tingles and shivers at the thought of it. his ouma-kun is helping him. his ouma-chan is making him dangan material. because of ouma, saihara will no longer have to be bored and maybe he will become an 'elite'. 

today, was another day for saihara. ouma was here and all was well for him. where his ouma-chan is, he is also there. 'saihara-chan, since you've been studying really really hard, wanna help me with a prank?' saihara brightened up slightly at the mention. more material to work with? he can't stop tingling. ouma kokichi was sent to him by a god, he's sure of it. and so, he nods.

when he heard that the prank is simple and that there won't even be a small amount of bloodshed he feels a little disappointed. boring and mundane. this isn't the ouma he knows, right? right. but even still, he helps ouma out. it's the least he do. 

'say, saihara-chan, let's go over to your house today, okay?' saihara turns a deep red but gives a nod. today, he'll let ouma know he's a dangan fanatic. it'll be fine because ouma-chan was sent by a god for him. he'll surely accept him. he has to. almost everyone likes dangan ronpa, so he has to. 

when the arrive at the taller's house, he asks ouma if he'd like something to drink or eat. the smaller shakes his head and just says he's content with studying right now. when the finally get to saihara's door, he's shaking. he can't lost his idol to his— no, the worlds obsession, right? right. when he opens the door, ouma looks utterly and completely disgusted.  
   
'saihara-chan, what the fuck? you..you actually like this shit?' saihara is waiting for him to say that he's kidding but it doesn't happen. he tilts his head at ouma and questions, 'i..its normal. everyone likes it, right?'

SLAP! there's no words, only a slap. ouma looks genuinely upset and saihara feels a tingle, while also wanting to cry. 'saihara-chan, this is really gross. you enjoy seeing people dying and in pain?' saihara opens his mouth and replies with, 'it's only a show, so there's not any real harm, right?' ouma only replies with a punch to the others jaw. 

saihara tumbles to the ground. his ouma-chan is certainly strong, it seems. or maybe he's just weak? 'that's not the point. seeing too much of it makes it real. when you see a corpse on the street, one day, you're going to laugh. you're going to find real life death, funny. so it is harmful. hell, you might even be like that now! you're obsessed. that's why you sit in the back! you just watch this shit show!' 

ouma was getting angrier by the minute and saihara was about to cry. at the same time, this upsetting situation gave him tingles and gave him more inspiration. 'oh god, you probably like to think of killing your classmates, don't you!? you get off on it too, i can tell! you're disgusting. really, i mean it.' and those words made him cry. he starts sobbing and apologizing to ouma for liking the show but he choose what he likes. ouma only shakes his head and says they can study again when saihara gets his life under control. and so saihara feels yet another tingle. 


	4. chapter 4. - friends and ouma-chan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things have gotten worse. but that's okay, or so he thinks.

the next day, saihara arrives at school much too late. he wasn't watching dangan ronpa this time, though. no, he was crying his eyes out. he lost his ouma-chan. the one the gods sent down to him. he lost his idol and now he won't have a chance to be on dangan ronpa anymore. he won't have friends anymore.

he slumps down in his seat and lays his head down. then he feels a soft hand tap his shoulder. 'shuichi, you seem less..you today.' he knows that voice. it's kaede, someone who he's known for a while. they don't talk because saihara doesn't know how to talk with most people. 

'i...miss talking to ouma-chan.' kaede wants to roll her eyes at this but it's impolite to do so. instead she just shakes her head and says, 'it's only been a day. you guys are friends, so he'll talk to you sooner or later.' saihara starts crying and explain to kaede what happened yesterday afternoon. kaede can only reply with 'perhaps you should stop watching, then?' saihara looks disgusted by the thought of it. 

during lunch, while he's eating the corner of the classroom, the window opens. why, it's the delinquent, kaito momota. he walks over to saihara and slaps his back roughly which causes him to squeak. 'shuichi, how you doing?' he has his signature grin on. saihara can only start crying again, which concerns kaito. he can only hold him close as he cries. it's unnatural, as he's a delinquent, but this boy has done nothing wrong to him and they are friends. it's only natural, he thinks. 

at the end of the day, he sees rantarou amami and he shivers in delight. he immediately turns red and starts shaking. he's one of the elite, and he's at his own school. oh god, what he'd do to just be looked at by him. he feels his whole body tingle and he slides down to the ground. he's weak at the sight of him. he wants to be like that, too. like rantarou amami-sama. 

ouma sees from afar and he feels disgusted. what happened to the saihara he knew— wait, he already knows. it was that damned show. he wonders if anyone besides his friends dislike that show. it's so terrible and disgusting. people who like it are sick, this he knows. but some how, he feels upset that he left saihara.

in the hall, rantarou amami is being clung onto by people of all genders. he doesn't quite mind, as long as he doesn't get his jacket stolen. he sees saihara on the ground and wonders what his problem is. they make eye contact for a second and saihara starts holding himself and drooling. amami shivers and so does saihara, but for two different reasons. rantarou amami-sama makes saihara tingle. 


	5. chapter 5. -  curious.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some rather..strange behavior from saihara.

that day, saihara goes home and he can't stop thinking about amami. he's so attractive and his character is one of the best in the series. just thinking about him makes him giddy to the core. he's the best boy, he thinks. he starts thinking more about amami and wonders what would've happened if he had died. how would he have died? or would he have been executed? he starts to image amami decapitated and that sends him over the edge. he starts murmuring the boys name over and over and over. he eventually shivers and finally stops. he's panting now, as he had overexcited himself. he finds himself asleep, half an hour later.

 

the next day, he sees his ouma-chan and amami-sama speaking in the hallway. it makes him tingle. maybe ouma does like dangan ronpa, he wonders. when ouma sees him he winces a little and saihara looks down. this is another part of ouma, a part he doesn't want to see, but a part he needs to be. he's going to be on dangan ronpa because he's going to become ouma. amami gives a grin and walks towards saihara. saihara starts turning red and gets weaker every second. when the boy finally reachers him, saihara can not breathe.

he's much more attractive then he thought he was. his light green eyes and his silky-soft looking hair are much better looking in real life. his eyelashes look so long and pretty too. his skin is so smooth looking, and so clear. oh god, and those lips, they look so soft and smooth. he wonders what it'd be like to kiss them. his ear piercings make him look even more attractive then he already is. when amami opens his mouth to speak, saihara blacks out. when he wakes up, all he feels is tingles.

he blinks a few times and sees that there are people surrounding him. kaede, momota, and amami where the only ones he knew, though. he feels tingly again. he wonders if ouma-chan is somewhere in the crowd. he was, but now that saihara is awake and okay he can leave. amami grabs saihara's hand, pulls him up and softly asks, 'are you alright?' all he can do is blush and shake his head rapidly. rantarou amami is touching him. rantarou amami is concerned about him. it's a dream come true.

he doesn't notice but he's started shaking once more, he's slipping again and his legs are all weak, like putty. amami notices this, picks him up and shakes his head. 'you must've done something to you legs to be shaking like that.' he probably did, since the boy rarely did anything he was supposed to in order to remain healthy. both he and amami knew why he was shaking though. saihara turns red and wonders if this is really okay. he supposed it is since rantarou amami, another idol of his, seems to be comfortable. he ends up cuddling deep into the boy's shirt and inhaling his scent. it puts him to sleep rather quickly.

when he wakes up again, he's in the nurses office and rantarou amami's face is right above his. he could kiss him right now, if he wanted to. and so he does. it's brief and short and when he pulls away he apologizes and says it was an accident. amami can actually believe this, as the poor boys passed out twice today. he must be hazy. for some reason, saihara tingles a little bit but also burns. saihara continues to lay down for a while before opening his mouth and asking, 'amami-san, c..could you get ouma-chan?' the boy only smiles and nods.

five minutes later and ouma is in the nurses office with amami and saihara. he asks rantarou if he checked him for any bruises. he shakes his head, which causes the smaller boy to sigh. he'll just do it, then. he has to remove his jacket to observe his arms. what he sees disturbs him. he's quite thin and covered in bruises and scars. they're yellow and green, which suggests they're old but it still disturbs him. then he checks his legs. he's glad when he sees those are fine. 'just what the hell happened to your arms?' saihara can only smile and say he's clumsy. saihara feels a tingle when ouma is concerned.


	6. chapter 6. - free time talking.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things have gotten worse and ouma and amami are quite disgruntled.

ouma does not believe that saihara is clumsy. he has rarely tripped around him. ouma sighs and shakes his head. this is not due to clumsiness, so he asks saihara again. this time, he says that tenko had dragged him a little too hard. ouma just nods and walks out of the room, leaving amami and saihara alone. amami is just giving the other a big and friendly smile and saihara is shivering and panting a little. 'amami-sempai....' a blush starts forming on saihara's face and his eyes start to glaze over. rantarou is a bit concerned at this but ouma will be back soon, right? right.

ouma knows where tenko as he met kaito around the same area.  tenko is hanging around with the schools girl gang which consists of her, kirumi toujou and miu iruma. he approaches the girls and smiles. he politely asks if he could have a word with tenko and all that he gets in respond is 'KYAHAHAHAHA, no way! tenko doesn't have business with a small fry like you, so fuckin' beat it!' from iruma. he shakes his head and instead gives tenko a note. it reads 'you've bruised up saihara shuichi. please apologize to him soon.' tenko has to think about who that is, but when she remembers she feels bad. perhaps her grip really is too strong sometimes. she will apologize soon. 

meanwhile, while ouma was doing that, saihara was wobbling over to rantarou. due to this, rantarou was feeling a bit uncomfortable. 'shuichi-san, are you alright? i think you should sit down..' saihara only shakes his head and continues to wobble over. he ends up draping himself on rantarou and panting in his ear. at this point, rantarou is silently praying ouma will return soon. saihara is leaning into amami's chest after a bit. he's whispering rather vulgar things such as 'use me as you please' and 'break me, amami-sempai.' at some point, saihara is begging to be stepped on. rantarou wants to put the boy back on the nurse's office bed but he's too uncomfortable to even move.

ouma is on his way back but suddenly tenko has his slammed against a wall. ouma is a bit confused as what is going on but he goes along with it. 'may i help you?' tenko scratches her cheek and can only respond with 'tenko would like to apologize to shuichi, but how does tenko do that?' ouma doesn't know what to say so he thinks about it for a while. 'just be genuine about it, i think. if not then maybe he'll get angry and beat you up, nishishishi~' tenko just nods and goes off to find saihara.

saihara is still on rantarou's lap and rantarou is trying so hard not to look uncomfortable. saihara starts rubbing his face against the green-eyes boy. 'amami-sempai...' he stops and it's clear his drooling. rantarou is about to ask him if he's alright but he is cut off by saiharas lips. he is frozen now and saihara is in clear ecstasy. he slips his tongue into rantarou's mouth and he doesn't know what to do. he can't say he's terrified, as this has happened on multiple occasions but it's never been this forceful before

* * *

. saihara is being rough with kissing, as he feels so passionate towards his idol. his dry lips are rather rough against the soft pair. he wraps his arms around rantarou's neck and moans into it. it's nice, for saihara at least. his body is on fire and he can't stop himself from slightly grinding against the other boy. 

he eventually pulls away and he looks rather erotic. he's drooling, his eyes are hazy and he's a panting mess. he clings to rantarou and rests his head on his shoulder. 'amami-sama, amami-sama, amami-sama......' he eventually falls asleep on the other boy, which is probably the best thing he's done all day. rantarou is finally able to place the boy back on the bed but it seems he has a tight grip, so he must sleep on there with him. he doesn't quite want to but it seems he has to. he wishes ouma didn't go off somewhere.


	7. chapter 7. - mixed emotions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kaede and kaito are concerned, while amami is a bit scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and this is were my good friend, korekiyolk, helps write. they wrote saihara's side.

by the next day, it's obvious. it's getting worse. if saihara couldn't have recognized that before, he certainly wasn't now. 

 

but saihara doesn't really care. he still remembers everything about his encounter. the warmth of amami's body, the sweet smell, the sweet  _flavor,_ and the tingles shooting up and down saihara's shuddering body. he replays moments of it in his head, over and over.

 

sometimes, he changes the details, fantasizes about what could've happened - what if amami had touched him just a little bit more? what if they had remained alone for only a few more minutes? what if amami had broken him? 

 

he'd fall deeper into his reverie, biting his finger from the ecstasy. then saihara would remember that it had actually happened; it wasn't one of his endless fantasies. he and rantarou amami, his radiant idol, had kissed. 

 

saihara hardly conceals his moan. it's amazing, it's amazing, it was so  _amazing!_ he wonders if some of amami's beauty could have rubbed into his boring,  _normal_ skin. he clenches his mouth tightly, as though reminding himself of how his idol tasted.

 

and how much better would that flavor be, mixed with the metallic tang of blood? his blood, or amami's? either one would be so sweet. he imagined digging his nails into amami's soft flesh, and watching the deep russet gushing between his fingers and staining his clothing. saihara wanted to bruise amami. he wanted to see every color, a purple and yellow flower blooming so steadily beneath the skin. myiasis, rigor mortis, how long would it take? he wanted to watch it all. artwork painted only in scarlet - the choking aroma of clotting blood would close his lungs, but make him breathe it in so much more, and he could feel amami growing cold under his hands. and saihara would whisper it, over and over. "i love you, i love you, i love you -"

 

his thoughts repeat in a feverish cycle.

 

another tingle. saihara's fingers twitch, as though acting out the murder scene. grab the knife, set the stage, and tamper with evidence. his breathing’s becoming more and more ragged, and he hears a hint of a moan in each. amami, amami,  _amami._ he wants to see the soft pistachio hue of rantarou's hair turning scarlet with blood. he wants to kiss him as he died - he wants to taste amami's last breath. he wants to see the evanescent light in amami's eyes die. he wants  _amami._

 

it's vivid. it’s so vivid _._ saihara's heart keeps beating faster, distracting, and saihara briefly thinks of amami twisting it out of his chest.

 

amami loves him. they kissed, so amami loves him. 

 

saihara's not sure when he went to sleep, or if he slept at all that night. 

 

school passes in a daze. saihara hardly pays attention, usually fantasizing about dangan ronpa. but today, it's not past seasons that make him suppress squirms. it’s what's happening now. the fact that amami,  _his boyfriend,_ is in this school. the fact that he's so close makes it hard to breathe.

 

it used to be easier to zone out - now, he bites his lip until each class ends, desperately waiting until passing period. then, he can see amami. saihara takes multiple routes to each class, hoping he'll see amami in the halls at least once. lunch alone is too short. far too short.

 

his heart races every time they make eye contact. amami tries to avoid him, tries to not look uncomfortable, but it's getting harder. he spots saihara out of the corner of his eye, more often than not, and icy unease begins to creep up his spine. like he's in a trap he'll never escape. 

 

saihara follows amami whenever he can - at lunch, his idol rests his arm on a napkin. the moment the bell rings, the moment amami leaves, saihara fetches the napkin from the trash and smells it deeply. it still has the slightest hint of amami's cologne; he mewls as he licks the fabric. saihara makes a mental note to find out what the cologne’s called.

 

kaede can only stare, the milk almost sliding off her lunch tray. saihara’s been acting weird recently - more so than usual. 

 

“shuichi, what are you doing with that napkin?” she asks. her tone is suddenly gentle, soft, as though saihara’s something delicate enough to break if she raises her voice. 

 

the napkin trembles in his fingers, held close to his heart. “it - it still smells like him.”

 

kaede nods and smiles, saying something to the effect of ‘see you tomorrow’ and excusing herself as quickly as possible. she needs to meet with kaito. he’s the one closest to saihara she can think of.

 

she doesn’t have to search very far; he’s wandering the nearby halls, dragging a pencil along the lockers as he walks. 

 

“hey, kaede! you lookin’ for shuichi too?” 

 

kaede pauses for a second - she doesn’t usually talk to kaito, but they seemed to be united in the cause, at least. 

        

“actually,” she begins, “i just talked to him. has he been acting weird recently?”

 

kaito nods vigorously. “yeah! he’s not even eating in the old classroom anymore. i used to talk to him in there, but he’s been a little off for the last few days. think he’s nervous after the injury?”

 

she shakes her head. “you’ve seen how he’s been following amami around, right? it’s like he’s obsessed with him. i’m getting kind of worried, to be honest.”

 

“it’s goin’ a  _little_ too far, yeah. he’s really not an awful guy, but this - it’s just not healthy.”

 

kaede seems to breathe a sigh of relief. at least someone else has been noticing. saihara’s always been odd, but the way he haunts every place amami walks might eventually get him into serious trouble.

 

but every waking moment, amami’s on saihara's mind. the seasons of dangan ronpa blur together as saihara imagines amami as each murderer, as each victim. it strikes him that he needs a disposable camera, or at least needs to clear some room on his phone. 

        

and ever since seeing the bruises on his arms, ouma's been keeping a closer eye on him. it's like paradise - to be interacting with both ouma and amami, both of them elite material! saihara feels so small in their presence. he tingles again when he thinks of them; it's all the same, to be praised or berated. his love is deep scarlet, and every moment he feels accepted by them dyes it even darker.

every time they look at him, every time he looks at them, another tingle.

                                                                                                                               [♡♡♡](https://www.quotev.com/472251360)

  
amami rantarou wants to be clean. he really does. he has been kissed countless times but countless people but saihara shuichi has been the worst case so far. he wonders what would've happen if he had broken him. would he leave him alone? no, he'd just ask for more as he would've gotten what he wanted. the kiss itself was somewhat nice but the reason behind it was what made the entire situation uncomfortable for him.   
  
he was kissed because he was on dangan ronpa, seasons 51 and 52. he's disgusted at this and the fact that he is constantly swooned over for being the show. he wishes he never went on but he has to. if he wants it to stop then he has to keep going and try his hardest to stop it.  
  
he wonders what would've happen if he stepped on him, like he asked? he was sure that the boy would've had..another fit right then and there. it's such a shame to amami, as saihara was pretty cute and when he was around ouma he seemed to be quite nice. all he can do is shake his head and hope it ever happens again. and that some how he kills that shit show.  
  
every time he walks out of class to do anything, saihara is there. every lunch, saihara comes into his classroom to eat with him. every single thing he does, saihara is there. and it makes him feel so uncomfortable. he doesn't show it, or at least he tries not to, but he is. he wants saihara to go away and rid himself of his obsession. if that were to happen, there would be a chance that they could actually get together. if not, then there was utterly and completely no hope left for the other boy. it was certainly a shame, as the boy was much tamer a few years back and would never act in such a way. he wonders if dangan ronpa was the thing that caused him to behave so strangely now.

 

he wonders if saihara knows that he saw him rummage through the garbage just for a simple napkin. thinking about it makes him shiver in uncomfortableness. he finds saihara so much more strange and creepy than before. he wonders what goes on in that mind of his. he shivers, just thinking about it. he feels dirty, impure, and disgusting. he wants to wash himself of all this grimy dirt that has infested his life. it is nasty, saihara is nasty, he himself is nasty. he wants to be clean, clean,  _clean_. 

 

he hates seeing saihara in the hallway now. its nasty, unclean and so dirty feeling. he wants it all to stop and go away. he wishes he never decided to appear on dangan ronpa. he wishes saihara shuichi would leave him be. he wants to go back to being himself and not some super famous dangan ronpa character. he just wants to be plain old rantarou amami. he doesn’t want to have see anymore people become like saihara. saihara has become a disgusting creep because of dangan ronpa and he does not want to see anyone else become like that.

 

he’s glad that akamatsu, momota and kokichi are good people who haven’t been tainted by that show but he’s worried that one day, they will be. he has somehow managed to keep all 12 of his sisters away from the god awful show, which is a blessing to him, but that is not enough. the show itself needs to be eradicated. he wonders if the damned show will ever actually murder people just to up ratings. they probably will, he thinks. he wonders if he should just politely ask everyone who swoons over him to stop watching the show, or if they still want to they should only watch seasons 51 and 52 if he is their main reason for it. he just wants to destroy it all. the producer of the show should be destroyed too, he thinks. maybe that’d be too cruel, though, he thinks. the producer must have reasons for doing something like this. if not, then maybe the producer does need to be destroyed.

 

 

this is all he can think about while he walks to the roof, after the bell rings. on his way there, he sees akamatsu and momota and wonders what they’re talking about. he decides to text kokichi and chabashira and asks them if they would see what’s going on with momota and akamatsu at the moment. when he gets a reply from them each he simply nods and continues to go to the roof. perhaps they will some other day.


	8. chapter 8. - coversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> saihara has two very important conversations, and amami caves in.

“saihara, we need to talk.”

the boy jumped - the bell had just rung, and he was set to make a quick escape from the schoolroom. he had certain plans for today, and he needed to find amami before he left. somewhat hesitantly, he turned around to meet kaede’s eyes.

kaito was there too, and saihara felt a sinking feeling. he needed to cooperate as much as possible. he couldn’t miss amami on the way out.

“we’ve been worryin’ about you! what’s going on with you and amami?” kaito casually leaned on the doorframe, blocking any potential dashes. “seriously, we need to know what’s up.”

saihara murmured something halfheartedly. “no, nothing… nothing’s wrong, kaito.” he stared at the ground.

kaede sighed. “saihara, there’s clearly something a little off here. we have to stop this before it gets any worse.”

saihara only stood there, clutching at his bag nervously and shifting from foot to foot. talking with people was clearly never his strong suit, and open confrontation like this was even worse. he was far more used to being ignored at the back of classrooms - and, with the exception of ouma and amami, he was generally comfortable with that.

“hey, are you listening…?” kaede seemed to be hesitant as well. “i don’t want to have to talk to you about this, but this could end up being something a lot more serious. do you understand what i’m saying?”

saihara nodded quickly. kaede clearly questioned his sincerity, but was willing to withdraw for the time being. she only hoped that she wouldn’t have to speak to him again in the future. it was one thing to have a crush, but following him around like that and digging up napkins was a very different level.

kaito jumped in. “we’re only talkin’ to you about this because we care about you, saihara. if you aren’t planning to take this any further, we won’t have to go through anything like this again, deal?”

“d-deal,” saihara mumbled, managing a quick smile.

kaito grinned and ruffled saihara’s hair. “then,” he began, “for now it looks like we’re done here.”

though a little unconvinced, kaede agreed. “one more thing, saihara - what are you in such a rush for? i’m not trying to be too invasive, but this doesn’t have anything to do with ‘him,’ right?” it was clear who she was talking about.

saihara shook his head, chancing a look at the clock - he breathed a sigh of relief, finding that he still had time to catch up with amami. “n-no, i’m just… going home earlier today.”

“well, in that case, i guess i’ll see you tomorrow. be careful out there!” kaede turned and left, letting saihara catch his breath again. he wouldn’t be delayed any longer.

saihara was rather glad when the conversation had finally ended. he let out a sigh of relief before dashing after rantarou. he can barely see him in the crowd for most of the run, but he’s just happy to see him in general. he has to stop himself from squealing out in happiness. you see, today is the day he’s going to go to his boyfriend’s house. they’re dating so an unplanned visit is fine, right?

he wasn’t able to keep up with rantarou a few times, as he was certainly not fit for running for more than five minutes. he’s not too athletic, so this is how he expected things to be. by the time the boy had reached amami’s house, he was out of breath. he stood by the door for a few minutes, catching his breath. then he smiles and gently knocks on the front door. a girl came to the door and smiled. “hello, may i help you?”

saihara only smiled, nodded and said, “uh, i’m l..looking for rantarou. is he here? i..i’m his boyfriend.”

* * *

  
amami was rather glad to not see saihara from the corner of his eye for once. so happy that the boy nearly let out a cry of happiness once walked out of the school gates. finally, he could stop being so tense and not worry about having his classmate stalk him. he was ever so glad that he could finally relax without having anyone watch him. oh, if only amami knew how wrong he was.

when he had arrived home, he didn’t even have time to put his bag down as quite a few of his sisters flocked around him as they were glad he was finally home. the happiness he felt lasted for only a few minutes as it seemed that there was a unexpected visitor. one of his sisters went to open the door and yelled, “brother, your boyfriend is here!”

his boyfriend? ‘oh no, this can not be good,’ is what amami thought. when he finally reached the door, the poor boy nearly passed out. saihara shuichi, his stalker, was at the door. he wanted to puke right then and there. he forced a smile onto his face before pulling saihara into his house. he wanted to go take a hot shower at that very moment. touching saihara makes him feel vaguely uncomfortable. “jeez, why didn’t you tell me you were coming over today, saihara?”

the black haired boy couldn’t even speak as he was too amazed by the fact that rantarou amami, his boyfriend and idol, was touching him. he could feel himself turning bright red and his heartbeat picking up the pace. he had to calm himself down somehow, this he knew. he didn’t quite know if he could do that, though. he was in the house of his beloved while he held him close. it was a dream come true, to him at least!

amami, on the other hand, was very uncomfortable. he disliked touching saihara, as this boy was quite literally the human embodiment of what dangan ronpa can do to people. he was sure that this entire thing was the damn show’s fault. before saihara had started watching it, he was much tamer, or at least that’s what kaede says. plus, amami was the only one who saihara stalked. he was borderline stalking ouma one could say, but he was sure that saihara had never went this far with the other boy, or else ouma would most definitely refuse to interact with saihara ever again.

the day went on and on as more of amami’s sisters begun to gather around and coo about how cute of a couple the two boys made. this went on for about an hour or so. amami felt entirely uncomfortable the whole time, but managed to fake a grin through it all. saihara, on the other hand, was having a hard time not showing how happy he was. the boy was near squirming until one of amami’s sister had asked, “why haven’t you two left to have some private time already?”

saihara started wondering that himself, and so he questioned amami as well. “s...she is right, you know. why haven’t we left for any….alone time?,” the boy murmured timidly. the way saihara said ‘alone time’ had made amami want to run out of the room and smash his head against a wall until he forgot the entire situation. instead, he decided to ignore the boy’s comment and focus on his sister’s.

amami crossed his arms contemplatively. all over again, it suddenly struck him that he was pretending to be dating his stalker. at the very least, this gave him the opportunity to say what he needed to.

he smiled at his sister, ruffling her hair. “you’re right,” he began. “saihara and i have something very important to discuss together.”  
          
out of the corner of his eye, he saw saihara stiffen, eyes full of something like hope. internally, amami cringed. despite everything that had happened, it didn’t quite sit well with him to have to knock saihara down. but he couldn’t keep living like this. especially not while knowing that this was dangan ronpa’s fault. filthy. again, he felt filthy.

“right, sai? you’ll come with me, right?” saihara blushed deeply, rather numbly following amami to his room. his boyfriend leading him somewhere so personal - it wasn’t the sort of thing that happened for no reason. he could hear his own heart pounding.

saihara barely felt himself sit down on amami’s bed. he was in a complete daze, both far away and there at the same time. he was already half-daydreaming, thinking about all the things he and amami could do here.

“saihara, we need to talk.”

“y-yes, amami?” the dreamer was jolted from his dark fantasies.

“i… can’t do this. we can’t do this.”

“amami? what do you mean? we’re dating, right…?” something like dread began to creep up saihara’s spine. weren’t they supposed to be in love? wasn’t it going well? even amami’s sisters were completely supportive of the idea! so… amami couldn’t possibly be asking it to end, right?

amami pressed a hand to his temple, and it ruffled his hair. he knew he couldn’t be too soft on him - gently saying no was clearly something that didn’t work with saihara. “saihara… i’m not trying to mean to you, and i don’t want to upset you. but we really shouldn’t keep seeing each other like this. it’s not good for either of us, especially the way you’ve been… following me.”

there was a long silence that hung heavily in the room. saihara’s heartbeat was almost audible, and his shaking figure on the bed looked oddly small surrounded by vast green sheets. was he always so small-looking? and so unhealthy? amami knew the answer was yes, but it struck him all over again.  
suddenly, saihara’s nails were digging weakly into his shirt. he desperately gazed up at amami. “please,” he breathed. “please don’t abandon me.”

amami felt all sorts of warning signs, but pressed on. “we really can’t do this, saihara. you need to be less obsessed with a persona on a tv show, i need some time to think, and the two of us - we need to be apart, at least for a while.” he gently took one of saihara’s hands in his own, maintaining eye contact he hoped didn’t betray his inner turmoil. please, he begged internally. don’t make this hard.

saihara’s shaking only became worse. his voice, usually thin and meek, raised to a point his desperation was audible. “i-i’ll do anything! amami, please! i - i -” his eyes searched the room, as though the wallpaper could help him get amami to reconsider. “i don’t want to lose you! y-you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, a-and i….” his dread crept up his throat, choking him; in the end, why would someone as amazing as amami be with him? no, he couldn’t let go of his personal angel, not now. not ever. just the thought chilled him to the core.

“a-anything… anything….” he looked to be on the brink of tears, and had tightened his grip on amami’s hand , as though worried his most loved one would vanish into the air, ephemeral as wind.

god. amami’s breath tightened in his chest. saihara looked so… pitiful. a victim of dangan ronpa, and a victim of obsession. he breathed a deep, heaving sigh. again, the crawling sensation of having gotten into something far over his head.

“okay.” his eyes shut, as though deep in thought. “we can keep doing this, but on one condition.” saihara suddenly seemed to be a carving in stone, not moving a muscle save for light, ragged breaths. he was paying rapt attention.

“please,” amami murmured. “try to… act a little more normally.” he faltered on his word choice. he needed to clarify. “don’t stalk me, or anyone else. don’t take personal items, or pictures without permission… anything like that. you know what i’m talking about, right?”

the smaller boy’s golden eyes regained their life - he nodded vigorously. “i promise! i-i promise i’ll try to be better! i really, really will….” again, amami saw hope in saihara. it was odd, to have so much power over the way someone felt. honestly, kind of scary. if saihara had ended up obsessed with the wrong person….

amami forced a smile. “alright, sai, then we can… continue this. just be sure to keep your promise in mind, okay? this is for your sake, too.” it really was. if amami couldn’t keep saihara from being in love with him, he could at least try to help him.

he couldn’t keep down the feeling of wrongness, even then. in such a short time, he had gone from being stalked over his role on a tv show, to pretending to be his stalker’s boyfriend, to actually agreeing to be in a relationship with him.

and for the hundredth time that day, rantarou amami cursed his place on dangan ronpa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a bit delayed so i apologize. i was also wondering if i should make a side book with saiharas fantasies. what do you all think?


	9. chapter 9. - erotomania.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're in love and no one will get in the way. saihara will make sure of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for being gone for so long ! i got busy ! also, this chapter was solely written by me, as my co writer is extremely busy do to school ! enjoy !

chapter 9. - erotomania.

saihara shuuichi believes that he and rantarou amami are in a genuine relationship. he's smiling so wide his jaw hurts, and everyone is giving him rather strange looks. from tenko, to iruma to kaito and even kokichi. he can't care, however. not now, when he is devoted to his boyfriend. his boyfriend is his absolute everything, and now that the two are official, he can't help but beam with the utmost energy. even if he gets strange stares, it doesn't matter. all that matters is rantarou. all that matters is his idol.

he waits by his door, every morning, calculates his every move to maximize time with him. he makes sure to bring him lunch as well. its always home cooked and he's always puts so much love in it. to him, this is paradise. he's never been so in love with an actual person before. only with danganronpa. it is his entire life, after all. he doesn't remember how long he's been obsessed, but that doesn't matter now. nothing does. just amami rantarou, and their days together.

everyday, they hold hands as they walk to and from school. it makes saihara's hands sweat even more than usual. he's so shaky and clammy, even though the walks just seem to flow by for him. days pass in a blink of an eye when he's got his lovely rantarou by his side. he hopes, he prays they'll be together forever. rantarou amami is his, and only his. he'd never let go. not now, not after this. he couldn't let him go even if he wanted to. 

all he does is think about him. he thinks about his hair, his eyes, and even parts of him he's never seen. oh, how he yearns to see them. he'd do absolutely anything for that. hed love to see him covered in blood as well. just thinking about it makes him shiver from the thigh upward. rantarou amami has filled his thoughts and he knows that he does not want anything other than him, and danganronpa in his mind. 

this relationship fills the boy with joy for hours upon hours daily. he can't stop drooling, it's just too delicious for him to handle. he loves him and this relationship so much that he wants to hurt himself. he can't believe this is real, not at all. the boy nearly pulls out his box cutter from his drawer. rather than that, though, he merely stumbles out the door. rantarou amami has consumed his mind.

to rantarou amami, however, this situation is dirty, impure and disgusting. how had he let this happen, why had he let this happen? he should've been more firm, more clear. he shouldn't have let saihara sway him like this. thinking like this only makes the boy feel even worse. saihara is fragile, both physically and mentally. one wrong move and he could shatter, like glass. he's so small, and so weak. maybe this is what he needs to better himself. maybe.

there is a bright side to all of this, though, amami won't lie. saihara hasn't been stalking him, he hasn't heard the silent click of a camera in a while either. the agreement they've made is working. though he isn't really in love with saihara, he won't deny the fact that this is better than before. however, he'd still like to minimize the time they spend together. it still seems like saihara is everywhere. filthy, he thinks. the more time they spend together, the more he feels absolutely and utterly filthy.

today, he thinks, he'll ward him off. just for a little. he feels bad for doing this to him, but he needs some alone time. at least some time to spend with his friends. surely, that'd be fine. saihara would probably be too nervous to approach him in a crowd of students anyways. being social isn't one of his strong suits, he's noted. at the end of the day, he waves him over with a nervous smile on his face. "sai," he begins, watching as the other boy's faces lights up with anticipation and excitement, "i think you should head home without me today. me and some friends have something planned. maybe you should hang out with yours, too."

almost in an instant, that face of raw joy shatters. despite that, though, saihara nods. he turns himself the other way and walks off, glancing at amami one last time. he isn't sure if kaito was here or not, but akamatsu, at least, should be. she, too, has very few friends. not because she's rude or anything, she's just picky. the girl does find humanity disgusting, after all. it makes him wonder why the two of them are friends in the first place. perhaps she just pitied him. either way, he's glad to be in her presence.

he finds all his friends in the old classroom on the second floor, and decides the join them all. kaito waves him over and immediately be drifts over. finding himself in a seat, he has kokichi examining him for any bruises. he can't help but tingle. kokichi ouma is elite material, and because of that, he can't help it. not when someone like him is touching him, checking on him, caring for him. even if it's not his personal angel, he's damn close enough. or, maybe not. no one can match up to his boyfriend.

time rushes by, and he finds himself having a good time with the other three in the room. he tries his best not to bring up amami. he'd hate to have another talk with kaede and kaito. he wonders if they'd believe him if he said that they were dating. would that cause something? he can't help but feel another tingle. their love and care makes him feel special, happy, excited. he can't help but drool a little. eventually, however, they have to leave. school isn't open all day, after all. 

as they all say their goodbyes, saihara stays on school property, just to make sure rantarou isn't still around. he'd like to go home with him, if that were possible. and it seems, he is. as he's about to run over and embrace him in his shaky, pale arms he stops, peering out from the corner of the old storehouse. he and some girl seem to be mingling. a girl who isn't worthy of his presence. she's even lower than him, he thinks. 

the two are close, and saihara feels his nails dig into his fingers. he doesn't want to see anymore. he doesn't want to see that wench and his rantarou amami interact anymore. his fingers twitch as he turns to walk the other way. no one is allowed to be that close to amami but him. only him. he loves him, he loves him, he loves him and no one else. if he didn't, they wouldn't be dating. and so, he needs to get that bitch out of their way. no one will get between them. not now, and not ever. the feeling of his box cutter in hand makes him tingle.


	10. chapter 10. - misfortune and mistakes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a day of vague uneasiness.

the next day, when rantarou arrives at school he and saihara are holding hands. some people smile and cheer them on, telling them that they are the cutest couple while others cringe away from the scene. ouma is one of those people. he is well aware that rantarou doesn't like saihara in a romantic way and that this wouldn't happen naturally. he knows something is up. he sighs and figures that he's going to have to get saihara to tell him what happened and that certainly won't be hard.   
  
kaede doesn't know what to say. she just stares at the couple with her bag in her hand and a genuine look of shock on her face. maybe him and saihara were already in a relationship when she and kaito had to talk to him? maybe that was just saihara's way of keeping it on the down low? she shakes her head. that can't be it. she's known saihara all her life and he's never behaved like that before. she doesn't understand and she isn't sure if she wants to.   
  
kaito is grinning like always but it's a bit of a facade. this is weird. he's never been too good when it came to noticing behaviors but when it came to saihara it was a bit too obvious. he can see that he's happy and that he and rantarou are holding hands. he assumes they're a couple but it doesn't add up to him. kaede told him of the situation before they had confronted saihara and by the sound of it, rantarou didn't seem interested in saihara at all. something happened and he thinks it'd be good to know.

it’s a time of vague unease for those closest to the couple, but for saihara it’s the best days of his life. amami’s hand is warm in his own, and sometimes his smile even looks genuine. 

 

amami’s just as casual and radiant as ever - and for a second saihara’s thoughts stray to  _ before:  _ dark, sweltering visions of killing and being killed, and the metallic taste of blood in a fantasy world far from this mundane life. saihara tries to suppress a tingle. he promised to hold back those sorts of ideas.

 

he really has been trying his best. amami can’t help but notice. the anxious tightness in his chest is subsiding for the first time in what feels like months, but it couldn’t have been so long ago. he runs a hand through his olive hair - as much as he’s tried to deal with this, the stress is taking a toll.

 

but amami’s a born actor. it’s a trait that’s both a curse and a blessing, but here all it means is that he can keep up this farce for as long as he needs. every kiss snuck in between classes and every touch of their hands is another step towards what amami hopes is recovery. and it  _ is  _ a sort of recovery, right? amami’s started taking walks around campus after the school day ends, knowing that saihara would follow. the fresh air seemed to do the sickly boy good, and amami hoped that there was something like color on his pallid face. he couldn’t imagine that saihara had previously spent all that much time outside. 

  
  


for the time being, though, amami was alone. the days were heating up, but the breeze was cool in the dappled shade of the trees. it was a temporary respite at best - next period was in only a few minutes, but this was a corner of the school that wasn’t often visited.  here, at least, saihara probably hadn’t found him. it wasn’t that he hated to be near saihara, but it was certainly nice to have a break once in awhile.

 

amami’s phone buzzes in his pocket. his heart rate rises. it strikes him that he hasn’t given saihara his number yet, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to find out. he sighs as he checks his screen, undoing his passcode by muscle memory.

 

ouma's contact name flashes onto the screen. amami breathes a deep sigh of relief. it's oddly comforting to see the familiar "ouma-chan <3", as though it reminds him of what life was like before all this stress. at the time, amami was just going to write in his new friend's name, but ouma had jokingly added both the honorific and emoticon.  
  
the text is shorter than usual.   
  
*amami? can we talk after school?  
  
he rarely sounds that serious when texting.  
  
amami's spirits sink once more. he knows what this is probably about.  
  
he begins his reply. *hahhh maybe? don't know my schedule after school yet - can you text it here?  
  
a new reply springs up almost as soon as he finishes.  
  
*that works! it's mostly about you -- you’ve been really stressed recently, right?

 

amami sighs and runs his nail between the gaps of his phone case. he’s not surprised that ouma had picked up on it.

 

*i guess so. things have been really weird recently. 

 

*and it ties to saihara, right?? i heard you guys are dating now?   
  
*yeah. it's a bit complicated haha   
  
*i can see that. is it alright if i add you to a group chat?? it has kaede and kaito in it too - don't know if you know them, but they're saihara's friends who are also a little worried about this whole thing. lol consider it a support group?? none of us really know whats going on   
  
*sure. i think it would be... helpful at this point   
  
his phone buzzed with another notification, and a group chat appeared on his texting menu. it had a couple numbers that he hadn't registered, likely kaede and kaito.   
  
*HEYYY what's up! this is kaito!   
  
*i'm kaede! sorry about the intrusion? you seem super stressed out recently, so we just wanted to make sure we know the whole story here. saihara's being pretty vague about the whole thing.   
  
*no worries no worries!! haaaa it's been... stressful over here. saihara's been better recently, but i don't know how long this can last. 

 

ping! another text from ouma. *wellllll for the time being i think you should have a place to talk?? you can message us here anytime!!! we all care about saihara and hope he gets better somehow   
  


amami types out another message.

 

*i hope so too! i really don’t think he’s a bad person at heart, just.. in a bad place right now

 

his phone vibrates in his hands, one after another. he smiles. group chats are always so hectic when they first begin, and this one even moreso - he hadn’t even registered kaede and kaito yet, so messages simply appeared without context.

 

*i guess this can be something of an all-purpose chat too, right? it would be nice to talk with everyone here a little more.

 

that was probably kaede… amami tapped in her name.

  
the minute bell rings. just as expected, amami only had a little while before the next class. he'll have to rush to get there on time.   
  
kaito's message vibrated in his hand.    
  
*oh crapppp guess we kept you late huh? i know a shortcut if you really need to get there before the next bell   
  
then ouma's: *you'll have to run amami! >:} talk to you soon!   
  
*bye guys!! don't worry about i t,  kaito, i'll make it there in time. i can run fast enough when i need to ;0   
  
not that amami knows for sure. he should've started walking two minutes ago at least. he snaps his phone shut and begins jogging. he can afford to be a few seconds late, but this period's math teacher is horrifically strict. he can't push his luck too much here.

* * *

 

the bell rang - and amami felt like something unpleasant was going to happen. (he'd been feeling like that a lot recently, right?)  _ it's going to be fine. i can't be this high-strung all the time... _

 

"amami, amami, amamiiii!" a classmate called out to him by the door. "can we talk for a minute?" 

 

he smiled - "of course!" but hesitated. they didn't usually talk, did they? with a pang of guilt, he realized he didn't even really know her name. "i'll be right over."

 

"that's great!" she seemed to glow. "i have some super important questions for you."

 

"oh, about the homework? i think i get the basics of the lesson enough, so i'd be happy to guide you through them!" he began to walk out to the next class, gesturing for her to follow. "once you know the formulas, all that's left to keep in mind is the-"

 

her arm shot across the space from her to the doorframe, keeping amami from leaving. he tilted his head, confused. was this some kind of confession?

 

she shook her head at him, almost condescending. "amami, don't you recognize me? i thought we would've known each other well enough by now! then again, my vocal mimicry skills  _ have  _ been getting better...." 

 

his heart sank. he should've known.

 

"ta-daaaa!" with a rapid movement of her hand across her face, she removed a blond wig and a single brown contact lens, revealing a deep indigo-blue eye and hair. in another second, both were back on - and amami's classmate stood in front of him again. "i've been practicing a lot recently... they said i could guest star on the new season! can you believe it? it's  _ such  _ an honor, when they could've chosen anyone else... but we're not here about me - we're here about  _ you!" _

 

_ and i was just here to go to math class.  _ amami bit his tongue. 

 

“so,” her eyes glinted with excitement, framed by the bangs of the wig. “do you think you’ll sign up for another season?” she knew her job and she was excellent at it - it was clear that she loved dangan ronpa. maybe amami was being too dramatic, but he could swear there was something about her eyes that were recognizable to him no matter what cosplay she was wearing. 

 

he closed his eyes and pulled at his collar, conflicted. “tsumugi, it’s been kind of you to offer and give me the opportunity, but you  _ know _ how i feel about -”

 

she sighed, giving him a sympathetic smile. “amami, of course i  _ know. _ but really, for the life of me i don’t get it. the audience loves you; you’ve brought in top ratings during every season you’ve starred in. it’s not like anyone’s actually dying! it’s all for fun, it’s harmless… i understand that you have many younger sisters to take care of, but they don’t have to watch anything violent if you’re really that against it.”

 

his sisters. with the money he’d bring in by appearing again, he’d be able to keep taking care of them. it wasn’t easy to maintain financial stability with such a big family, and for a long time the show seemed to be the only way to stay afloat. had tsumugi mentioned them on purpose? 

 

amami started again. “i… might need some time to think about it.”

 

“well, i really hope you decide to sign up again!” she practically glimmered with excitement. “we have such a nice script this time -  _ really  _ unique, it’ll give you a different role than in the past few seasons! for such a special year for the franchise, we really had to think about different  _ angles _ \- you have to keep it fresh and exciting, get people to fall in love with the series all over again -”

 

more murder, then. more blood, more killing, et cetera, ad nauseum. 

 

saihara wasn’t happy about this little meeting either. the classmate seemed to be terribly social with amami - and worse, amami seemed to be uncomfortable. (or would it have been worse if amami and her were getting along?) she was a threat. he bit down on his fingers - and noticed first that he was trembling, and second that he tasted blood. was amami in danger? (or was it their relationship?)

 

panic welled up inside him.  he had to do _something._ what kind of partner would he be if he did nothing at all? when this was clearly hurting amami too?

 

who did she think she was, making him uncomfortable? what was her name again? he only really paid attention to a few people in the mess of faces he saw every day. if he did  _ something _ , it could be quick - just enough to keep something bad from happening. it wouldn't be breaking his promise, would it? amami really looked like he'd rather be left alone... like someone unpleasant was latching onto him. 

saihara didn't see the irony. 

but he did see a way of fixing the problem.

* * *

 

ouma blinked, running over the conversation again as the final bell rang. he'd zoned out during most of the period, but it wasn't too hard a class in the first place. maybe he'd just look for saihara... unless he'd already taken off, following amami's every movement. it was worth a shot, at least. it would be better to have at least a conversation with him to understand what was going on.

 

he stretched, yawning, as he picked up his book bag. the end of the day always seemed to move slowest. he made his way around campus - even as he walked, the number of people he passed began to grow sparser. there was probably no way saihara was still there, right? maybe he could send a text message later... 

 

in the meantime, it wasn't too bad to wander for a bit. it was a nice-looking campus, especially where he didn't usually pass during his daily schedule. 

 

a tree, some stairs, another tree, a door; maybe it wasn't that exciting after all. exploration for exploration's sake would've been better in a place less... mundane. 

 

a strange sound piqued his interest.  _ huh?  _ some kind of whimpering? he was in an unfamiliar part of the school, near some lockers he didn't recognize - wasn't this a p.e. room, usually? 

 

if somebody was crying, he'd have to make a choice - some people wouldn't want to be seen, especially not by a stranger - but others could be comforted during times like this. it wasn't even impossible that they were genuinely hurt. if that was the case, it was at least worth checking, right?

 

he poked his head around the lockers. "heyy, i was just -"

 

ouma stopped short. a classmate of his was doubled over on a bench, dyeing a towel deep scarlet as she pressed it onto her wound. she trembled, shrinking away from ouma, but relaxed almost imperceptibly as she recognized him. "the - the -" her voice was quiet, but near hysterical with fear. ouma's heart rate quickened anxiously. something wasn't right. there could be no good explanation for this.

 

"c-calm down, it's okay! want me to hold your hand for now? i can get you another towel, alright? you don't have to talk for now! you're going to be alright." he half-murmured comforting nothings - he messed with a lock of his purple-black hair as he waited for a nod or a 'yes' or anything that might indicate what he could do to help, but if she was communicating he wasn't catching onto it. 

 

at the very least, the bleeding didn't seem life-threatening or anything - her panic was probably the more concerning at that particular moment. he sat next to her for a few minutes, letting her know he was there at least. once she had calmed down enough to speak, he felt he could ask. 

 

"do you know what happened? was it an accident?" it didn't look like one. 

 

"do you know why?" his eyes were wide with concern - what kind of person slashes at another on-campus?

 

"i-i don't know, he just... i don't even know him!" 

 

"can you describe him? we should get you to a hospital soon. it doesn't look too serious, but it's not good to just go home like that..." 

 

"he had dark hair -" a chill crept up ouma's spine. "and i think he was wearing a hat?"  _ oh no.  _

 

"alright, i'll help get you to someone who can help - is it alright if i take a few pictures? this kind of thing is a crime, so it might be important..."  _ and i have to show this to certain people.  _ if only to prove that they didn't do it. there were plenty of people with hats and dark hair at the school, right? and saihara wouldn't - ouma bit his lip - saihara  _ probably  _ wouldn't go this far. what motive would be have, anyways? it would probably tie into dangan ronpa or amami in some way if he were to ever commit a crime. he was just being paranoid.

 

he sent the image to the group chat later that day. 

* a girl ended up being slashed today during last period. the police might get involved, not sure yet... anyways, we're probably the first ones to know so be sure to stay safe and aware!! might be someone dangerous still on campus tomorrow..

 

kaito was the first to reply. 

* holy shit man?!? since when does that happen here?? if we have a buddy system tomorrow just in case i can problyy protect you guys if anyone weird shows up

 

then kaede: 

* that's... seriously disturbing. did you talk to her at all? it would be best to know as much as we can about whoever did it, at least until they can be figured out officially.

 

and ouma:

* that's the problem... i asked and she said that the person had dark hair and a hat

* NOT TO SAY it's who we're worried it might be, it's wayy too early to jump to conclusions here but the worry's seriously going to keep me up!! what is happening!!

 

kaede's message vibrated in ouma's phone.

* the best we can do is ask him about it tomorrow. maybe not even directly about the incident... i don't want to think it's him either, so the best we can do is clear his name and then we can rest easier. we'll probably hear about whoever did it by the end of the week?

kaito: 

* hope so! stay safe guyss. saihara wouldnt do something like that you know?? 

 

and no other messages came. ouma couldn't say he was convinced, but he wished he was. a tingle runs through his fingertips.  
  


 


End file.
